The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened
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Narrated by:
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Eric Jason Martin
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By:
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Bill McKibben
About this listen
2022 New Yorker Best Books of the Year, Long-listed
"Narrator Eric Jason Martin adds gusto to this mini-memoir, which spans much of author Bill McKibben's lifetime."-AudioFile on The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
Bill McKibben—award-winning author, activist, educator—is fiercely curious.
“I’m curious about what went so suddenly sour with American patriotism, American faith, and American prosperity.”
Like so many of us, McKibben grew up believing—knowing—that the United States was the greatest country on earth. As a teenager, he cheerfully led American Revolution tours in Lexington, Massachusetts. He sang “Kumbaya” at church. And with the remarkable rise of suburbia, he assumed that all Americans would share in the wealth.
But fifty years later, he finds himself in an increasingly doubtful nation strained by bleak racial and economic inequality, on a planet whose future is in peril.
And he is curious: What the hell happened?
In this revelatory cri de coeur, McKibben digs deep into our history (and his own well-meaning but not all-seeing past) and into the latest scholarship on race and inequality in America, on the rise of the religious right, and on our environmental crisis to explain how we got to this point. He finds that he is not without hope. And he wonders if any of that trinity of his youth—The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon—could, or should, be reclaimed in the fight for a fairer future.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Co.
©2022 Bill McKibben (P)2022 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“If we survive the interlocking plagues of climate change, right-wing authoritarianism, and savage inequality, future generations will utter the name of the New England moral visionary and activist McKibben with the reverence we speak of Emerson, Thoreau, and Garrison. This sparkling little diamond of a book illuminates the all-American boyhood and education of a radical Christian environmentalist in love with a broken world that, frankly speaking, may or may not exist at all a century from now. May McKibben's golden pen continue to flow swiftly and conquer—with both love and reason—the dangerous enemies of human civilization.“
—Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8)
“Plainspoken, direct, conversational, and inspiring, Bill McKibben offers us generous insight into who he is and how he has been shaped by his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs. We see through inner and outer choices, struggles, and influences, why one of the world's most effective and humble leaders in the climate justice movement committed himself to an activist's life on behalf of a warming planet. The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon is more than a memoir, it is a bow to the power of social justice movements and a smart and savvy historical reflection on what has brought us to this crucible moment of climate collapse. Bill McKibben is an every-day hero who continues to show us not only what is possible, but necessary to our survival, the survival of our democracy, and all life in the places we call home.“ —Terry Tempest Williams, author of Erosion: Essays of Undoing
“What went wrong with America in the 1970s? In this searching book, Bill McKibben wrestles with a generation that lost its way, and why, and how to find the way back.”
—Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States
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Moyers on Democracy
- By: Bill Moyers
- Narrated by: Bill Moyers
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
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People know Bill Moyers mostly from his many years of path-breaking journalism on television. But he is also one of America's most sought-after public speakers. His appearances draw sell-out crowds across the country and are among the most reproduced on the Web. Richly insightful, and alive with a fierce, abiding love for our country, Moyers on Democracy is essential listening.
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You can't help but think critically
- By Ida F. on 09-29-09
By: Bill Moyers
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Sundown Towns
- A Hidden Dimension of American Racism
- By: James Loewen
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Sundown Towns examines thousands of all-white American towns that were - and still are, in some instances - racially exclusive by design.
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Honest Reportage on American Racial's Shame
- By Anonymous User on 12-26-08
By: James Loewen
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The Forgotten
- How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America
- By: Ben Bradlee
- Narrated by: Kiff Vandenheuvel
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Forgotten, Ben Bradlee, Jr., reports on how voters in Luzerne County, a pivotal county in a crucial swing state, came to feel like strangers in their own land - marginalized by flat or falling wages, rapid demographic change, and a liberal culture that mocks their faith and patriotism.
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Wow
- By Walter on 11-05-18
By: Ben Bradlee
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Harlem
- The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America
- By: Jonathan Gill
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Harlem is perhaps the most famous, iconic neighborhood in the United States. A bastion of freedom and the capital of black America, Harlem's 20th-century renaissance changed our arts, culture, and politics forever. But this is only one of the many chapters in a wonderfully rich and varied history. In Harlem, historian Jonathan Gill presents the first complete chronicle of this remarkable place.
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Very Interesting.
- By Joyce Mirowski on 06-05-20
By: Jonathan Gill
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We Gon' Be Alright
- Notes on Race and Resegregation
- By: Jeff Chang
- Narrated by: Jeff Chang
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In these provocative, powerful essays acclaimed writer/journalist Jeff Chang (Can't Stop Won't Stop, Who We Be) takes an incisive and wide-ranging look at the recent tragedies and widespread protests that have shaken the country. Through deep reporting with key activists and thinkers, passionately personal writing, and distinguished cultural criticism, We Gon' Be Alright links #BlackLivesMatter to #OscarsSoWhite, Ferguson to Washington, DC, and more.
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a conversation that needs to happen
- By Angie B on 03-11-17
By: Jeff Chang
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The Future Is History
- How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia
- By: Masha Gessen
- Narrated by: Masha Gessen
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
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Award-winning journalist Masha Gessen's understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled. In The Future Is History, Gessen follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each of them came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own - as entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers, and writers, sexual and social beings.
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The author is an international treasure
- By ThreeGems on 10-16-17
By: Masha Gessen
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Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right
- What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas
- By: Erica Grieder
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Texas may well be America’s most controversial state. Evangelicals dominate the halls of power, millions of its people live in poverty, and its death row is the busiest in the country. Skeptical outsiders have found much to be offended by in the state’s politics and attitude, and yet, according to journalist and Texan Erica Grieder, the United States has a great deal to learn from Texas. In Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right, Grieder traces the political history of a state that was always larger than life. From its rowdy beginnings, Texas has combined a long-standing suspicion of government intrusion with a passion for business.
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Loved this book!
- By ccarp on 06-04-14
By: Erica Grieder
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What Unites Us
- Reflections on Patriotism
- By: Dan Rather, Elliot Kirschner
- Narrated by: Dan Rather
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In a collection of original essays, the venerated television journalist, Dan Rather, celebrates our shared values and what matters most in our great country, and shows us what patriotism looks like. Writing about the institutions that sustain us, such as public libraries, public schools, and national parks; the values that have transformed us, such as the struggle for civil rights; and the drive toward science and innovation that has made the US great, Rather brings his experience on the frontlines of the world's biggest stories, and offers listeners a way forward.
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Hope. For both sides of the aisle.
- By Leigh A. Barrett on 01-30-18
By: Dan Rather, and others
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Beyond the Messy Truth
- How We Came Apart, How We Come Together
- By: Van Jones
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In Beyond the Messy Truth, Jones offers a blueprint for transforming our collective anxiety into meaningful change. Tough on Donald Trump but showing respect and empathy for his supporters, Jones takes aim at the failures of both parties before and after Trump's victory. He urges both sides to abandon the politics of accusation and focus on real solutions. Calling us to a deeper patriotism, he shows us how to get down to the vital business of solving, together, some of our toughest problems.
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I never hated anyone before
- By Joanna Bugajska on 11-17-17
By: Van Jones
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Americans Against the City
- Anti-Urbanism in the Twentieth Century
- By: Steven Conn
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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An aversion to urban density and all that it contributes to urban life, and a perception that the city was the place where "big government" first took root in America fostered what historian Steven Conn terms the "anti-urban impulse." In this provocative and sweeping audiobook, Conn explores the anti-urban impulse across the 20th century, examining how the ideas born of it have shaped both the places in which Americans live and work, and the anti-government politics so strong today.
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Excellent book
- By M. M. Conroy on 09-19-20
By: Steven Conn
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Black Detroit
- A People's History of Self-Determination
- By: Herb Boyd
- Narrated by: James Shippy
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The author of Baldwin's Harlem looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit - a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the city's past, present, and future and its significance to the African American legacy and the nation's fabric.
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Selective Recall
- By Rick on 07-19-17
By: Herb Boyd
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The Audacity of Hope
- Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- By: Barack Obama
- Narrated by: Barack Obama
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
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In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics: a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy".
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My Fellow Conservatives, Give This A Listen
- By Dallas D.L. on 02-12-15
By: Barack Obama
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Once in a Great City
- A Detroit Story
- By: David Maraniss
- Narrated by: David Maraniss
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
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It's 1963, and Detroit is on top of the world. The city's leaders are among the most visionary in America. It was the American auto makers' best year; the revolution in music and politics was underway. Walter Reuther's UAW had helped lift the middle class. Once in a Great City shows that the shadows of collapse were evident even then. Yet so much of what Detroit gave America lasts.
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Great read
- By Jordanel on 01-02-16
By: David Maraniss
What listeners say about The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
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- Tara
- 12-14-23
A plea for community in an age of idealism.
As I prepared to retire after many decades of teaching, I remembered the many students that had shared the classroom with me and how almost all of them still believed in the “better angels of our nature” despite the rhetoric of hate and division that too many adults saw as good politics, I couldn’t help but feel that my generation had failed these young adults in some fundamental way,. However, while I recognized those failures, until I read this book, I didn’t realize that we had the opportunity to both help rekindle that idealism that once inspired us. Doing so would help pay our debt to future generations and reawaken the aspirations of our youth who chose to “dream of things that never were, and say why not.”
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- Mark Johnson
- 10-22-23
A constructive and educational look back on the reader’s life
And engagingly critical look at my times and what I might do about them in the ten or more years I hope to be given the grace to live.
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- M.Haberlen
- 10-22-23
Last chance for Baby Boomers!
McKibben has analyzed very ably, all the various strands running through recent US culture, strands, which have culminated in this moment of time, a time of crisis. He shows that many young people can no longer look optimistically into the future, as they are facing the disturbing reality of climate disaster, as well as racial and economic injustice around them. The author concludes that the generation which bears major responsibility for what has been happening politically up to this point, must now come to the rescue of the young, in order to effect last-minute, radical changes to save the future for their grandchildren: Baby Boomers, redeem yourselves, before it is too late!
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- Walter Bentley
- 02-25-23
A story for all to hear
This book was so well researched and well read. I enjoyed this book so much.Thank you Bill
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- Anonymous User
- 02-23-23
Hard to take - but many should read
I struggled through this book as the author recounts personal life experiences and relates them to historical events and episodes that have brought us to our present state of stark divisions, and dysfunction. It’s a recount of the processes we go through, and I’m reminded how humanity has evolved very little socially since Ancient Greece. The actor reading the audio version I listened to had a “Rod Serling” tone of eminent doom- which I didn’t like.
But still, I recommend reading this book. Unfortunately, those who might benefit most from the enlightenment it offers likely won’t read it.
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- Greg Marsello
- 06-30-22
Elders Take Notice
An inspiring and valuable resource that all elders should read ASAP. Full of relatable personal stories that baby boomers can learn from. A wake up call for a generation that must act for the future.
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- Charles H
- 07-27-22
The Flag, The Cross, and The Station Wagon
Excellent analysis of the major political themes in America over the author’s and my lifetime. Helpful and hopeful.
Thank you, Bill.
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- Tom
- 11-17-22
An Unreconstructed Liberal looks back
McKibben does a fine job of weaving together three of the major trends that led to American Society and perhaps Western Culture to edge of the cliff where it resides today.
In this sensitive memoir he mourns the passing of the Small Town Values that he grew up with in Lexington, Massachusetts. But it is not the mawkish account you might expect from a Right Wing Politician inventing a clarion call to “Bring back the Good Old Days”, Rather it asks important questions about how we got here to a place whose citizens worship Ignorance of the dangers of Climate Change, “Progress”, Growth at all costs, Malls, MegaChurches, and McMansions.
He points to Right-Turns the country took away from the Carter Seventies to the Reagan Eighties and some of the seminal speeches and political stances, particularly a SCOTUS Decision by Justice Lewis Powell that revolutionized changes in Big Business, Religion, and Politics motivations in a dangerous direction.
This last made a powerful impact on me. Every Baby Boomer should read this book.
Four Stars ****
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-16-23
Mind blowing
Do yourself a favor and open your mind up to rethinking the housing and climate issues by reading/listening to this book.
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- tess pechka
- 06-06-22
Heartbreakng
--------and FRUSTRATING. People are just ignoring this. Never mind grandchldren; our adult children will be horribly affected by this. I am old and have been working on this since the 70's. In the future, when our descendants read about our past two generations, when we KNEW what was coming, what will they feel? More importantly, how will they survive? i
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